Run
by Dragonwriterofthenight
Summary: Running was hard. But Jack Frost was always on the run. Until, one fateful day, a strange man carrying a wand offers him a safe place to stay in his school of magic. What was meant to be simply a haven for him to rest turns into a whole mess of drama, love, and friends as Jack meets three unlikely souls, while darkness lurks around the corner. (ROTBTD)
1. Getting Letters

**This isn't a rewrite of my other Big Four/Hogwarts story, but it kinda is, because it's taking its place. See, when I first wrote that story, I had several different ideas, and I decided to go for the fun, easy one. This one is going to be much more intense, and it specifically focuses on Jack. Except you won't see much of him for the first few chapters. Okay, I'm going to shut up now.**

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><p>Getting Letters<p>

"Mum! Da! Ah got mah letter!" a young, red-headed girl cried, white letter containing neat, tiny scribbles being waved around in the air. The eleven year old lass raced through the castle, paper held triumphantly above her head, screeching with joy.

"Slow doon lassy, or ye'll trip!" the nursemaid, Maudie scolded as she raced after her.

"Na time, ah hae tae tell mah maw 'n' da!" she called back, hiking up her dress so that she could run faster. Maudie rounded the corner and found a pair of little shoes that she must have also kicked off. With a sigh, she picked them up and raced after her Miss.

"Da!" the girl cried, bursting into the throne room where a large man with red hair and beard was sitting upon a wooden throne, listening to a soldier giving a report. Beside him, a thin woman with long brown hair sat straight up, not a single hair out of place. "Maw, Da, mah letter arrived!" she called, interrupting the soldier.

"Did it noo?" the king said with a smile, "Told ye all ye hud tae dae was be patient!" he said with a chuckle.

The queen smiled and picked the excited girl up. "Come Merida. Let ye faither finish his business 'n' we'll go 'n' read it," she suggested, carrying her away. Once they were in a more private room, the queen took the yellowing page and flattened it out to read. "Dear Miss Dunbroch. We ur pleased tae inform ye that ye hae bin accepted tae Hogwarts school o' Hitchcraft 'n' Wizardry..."

"Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment…" Wide green eyes lifted from the page as excitment coursed through the thin frame of an eleven year old boy. Brushing his feathery brown hair out of his eyes, the boy raced downstairs, shouting, "Dad! Dad, guess what!"

A large man with a massive red beard grumpily got up from his warm bed and trudged into the main hall of their home. "What is it this time, Hiccup?" he asked with a yawn.

"Look Dad! I got accepted to Hogwarts!" the boy exclaimed excitedly.

"Hogwarts?" he took the paper from his son's hands and scanned it quickly. "But…" he started, unsure, "That is not our way. We teach ourselves."

Hiccup moaned. "But Dad, this is the greatest magical school in the world!" Was he really going to get hung up on tradition now?

The burly man sighed and ran a meaty hand over his face. "I…I suppose. It is supposed to be a really great school. Let's see, Term begins on…"

"September 1st," a small girl read while she sat by an open window, eyes getting wider and wider, "We await your owl no later than by July 31st. Yours sincerely, Joseph Hannup, Deputy Headmaster." She looked up from the page, awe written on her face.

"Rapunzel!" a voice called, "Time for lunch!"

"Coming Mother!" the girl replied and turned to race into the other room, where the kitchen was held. "Mother, look what an owl brought me!" she cried.

"An owl?" a black-haired woman said, taking the letter from Rapunzel's hands. She quickly scanned it, her face becoming more and more creased.

"Can I go, Mother, please?" Rapunzel begged.

"Oh, my dear, it would be far too dangerous. What if someone was to find out about your hair?" her mother clucked, shaking her head sadly.

"Please?" Rapunzel said again, "I won't tell anyone! And wouldn't I be safer? This is a magical place, so they'd be used to magical stuff anyways! And I might learn how to protect myself!" she reasoned.

He mother bit her lip and looked uncertain. Rapunzel looked at her with large, pleading eyes, and she gave a sigh of resignation. "Fine. But at the first sign of trouble, I'm pulling you out."

"Oh, thank-you Mother! I promise to be good and I won't tell anyone about my hair!" Rapunzel cried happily.

At the same time, far away from all three of those young souls, a different child was gritting his teeth, frustration clear on his face. He was older than the other three, or at least looked it, his age ranging anywhere from fifteen to nineteen.

This teen had his arms pinned behind his back and was on his knees, growling angrily at the tall woman in front of him. "Why do you put up such a fight?" the woman asked with a shake of her head, white hair shifting with her. "No matter how hard you try, you still belong to me," she taunted.

"Never!" the teen cried, pushing the captor holding his arms away. With a swift flip of his foot, a tall staff was lifted off the floor and clutched in his pale hands. Without a second thought, the teen jumped into the air, flying away as fast as possible.

"You can't run forever, Jack!" the woman called after him, "There is nowhere on this earth that I can't reach you!"

"We'll see about that!" the teen grumbled to himself as he, once again, escaped the clutches of Queen Mab, ruler of Winter.

Merida was nearly jumping out of her shoes, she was so excited. When her name was called to be sorted, she was up in a flash, struggling to contain the bubbling anticipation that was welling up inside. She hardly even heard the snickers when the Sorting Hat barely made it past her forehead due to her voluminous curly, red hair.

The moment the hat touched her head, she heard a voice ringing within, speaking to her. "Well, well, well," it said, "If it isn't Princess Merida of clan Dunbroch."

"Dinnae ca' me that!" she grumbled in her mind.

"Ah, I see you don't enjoy the life of a princess much. Hmmm, let's see, very determined. Proud and stubborn, ready to take on anything. A bit hot-headed sometimes-"

"Hey!" Merida internally exclaimed.

"-all leads up to a perfect fit," the hat continued as if he didn't hear her. "You are most definitely…GRYFFINDOR!" it shouted out loud. Merida grinned as she got down from her stool to join the cheering red and gold. Her father had been in Gryffindor, though her mother was a Ravenclaw. Either way, she knew her parents would be proud.

Only a couple feet away, Rapunzel still stood, shaking with fear. There were so many people! The journey here had been heart wrenching enough, but now she saw them all in one room! And they were going to stare at her, every single one of them, while she went up to get sorted! Rapunzel was the opposite of Merida when she was called. Her hands were shaking and she was compulsively playing with a long lock of hair that had come loose from her braid. Once on the stool, she tried to block out all the stares by shutting her eyes. Of course, she couldn't see anyway because the hat fell over her eyes.

"Let's see," it spoke to her, nearly causing her to jump. Sure, she heard it shout out houses earlier, but she didn't expect it to speak in her mind! "What have we here…a little frightened, but that's understandable. You've been shut up so long all you want to do is be free, see all there is to see, hmmm…very curious, perhaps too curious. You love to read, despite having only ever read three books before…yes, I think you'll do fine in…RAVENCLAW!"

Rapunzel let out a breath she didn't know she was holding and stumbled over to the awaiting table full of cheering students. She resisted a sigh, and instead put on what hopefully was a smile. That was terrifying!

When the next name was called, Rapunzel sat straight and dutifully watched the next boy go up. She met him on the way over. What was his name? Oh yes, Hiccup. Hiccup seemed nervous, but nearly as much as she.

Hiccup was, in fact, as nervous as ever. But he was used to being scolded in front of large crowds, so this was like child's play to him. He didn't even flinch when the hat spoke in his head, which was way over the top freaky, by the way. Seriously, who wants a voice in their head?

"Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III," the hat announced.

"I know my own name," Hiccup replied.

"Hmmm, sarcastic. Very sarcastic. And a witty tongue. One that you perhaps can't control very well, and it gets you in trouble, but still witty. A bit of a trouble-maker too…although it usually isn't your fault, you just get blamed."

"Thanks for the reminder," Hiccup mumbled with a roll of his eyes.

"And there's the sarcasm again. But, where to put you? You're eager to help, always ready, like a Hufflepuff. Hmmm…but, ah, no, I know exactly where to put you."

"Well, any say now would be nice," Hiccup responded, a little ticked off now. How long was this moldy hat going to take?

"I'm not a moldy hat!" the Sorting Hat grumbled, then said, "I'm putting you in…RAVENCLAW!"

"About time," Hiccup muttered both in his head and aloud as he got down from the stool. He looked over at the cheering table and joined the girl he met on the way over. Rapunzel, she said her name was.

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><p>Hundreds of miles away, a lonely teen wearing no more than his tattered brown pants and old, worn cloak made a new safe house for himself somewhere deep in the Artic. He used his special magic to make sure that Mab could not detect him, at least for the time being, and then settled in for a rest. He'd been on the run for a while, and now it was a blue moon. That meant a whole month of being constantly hungry and exhausted. Jack had decided to simply hibernate for the month, but he had to make sure he wouldn't get caught. Hopefully, his enchantments would work, and he wouldn't wake up to find himself in the clutches of the woman trying to control him.<p>

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><p><strong>So, those are where I think people belong, house wise. Merida is obviously Gryffindor, Rapunzel is very Ravenclaw, and Hiccup is Ravenclaw all the way. I think after his first movie, he <em>c<em>**_**ould **_**be put in Gryffindor, but this is before so...yeah. And, Jack isn't here yet, he's on the run from Mab.****  
><strong>


	2. Meeting New People

Meeting New People...and Escaping Them

"I missed this place so much!" Rapunzel commented as she and Hiccup headed to their first class of the year: potions.

"Yeah," Hiccup agreed, "Get to be away from my cousin Snotlout for a whole 'nother year!"

"Oh, was he bullying you again?" Rapunzel asked with a wince.

"More than ever. He thought I was 'breaking tradition' by coming to Hogwarts instead of learning the old fashioned way, through our parents." Hiccup rolled his eyes. "It's really stupid, to be honest. He just likes finding new ways to pick on me."

"I think he's jealous that you got accepted to the greatest magical school in the world and he didn't," Rapunzel decided.

Hiccup gave a little chuckle. "I am already way better at magic than him. And I've only had one year, while his dad started him early, when he was nine."

Rapunzel nodded with a smile as they reached the door that lead to the potions room. They opened it and went inside the cold dungeon, taking seats in the front of the classroom like the rest of the Ravenclaws while the Gryffindors took the back.

The potions professor, Professor Geth, waddled out of her office and slowly made her way towards the chalkboard. Geth was this little old witch with completely white hair and millions of wrinkles off over her face. She was at least four hundred years old, as most students liked to joke, and spoke in this raspy old voice that gave you the chills.

"Settle down class," Professor Geth said, despite the fact that nobody was making a sound. Despite being very old and slow, no one caused trouble in her class…no one.

Geth observed the classroom before shaking her head and clucking. "Now, now. Yer'all not first years no more. Go n' find yourself a partner not from yur house. Go on then."

There was a scraping of chairs and a few grumbles as people started to move around, fining either a Ravenclaw or Gryffindor partner. Rapunzel sat down next to a brown haired girl she had met before and gave Hiccup a tight smile. Hiccup returned it, and found only one seat left, next to a girl with enormous red hair. With a sigh, he took a seat next to her.

"Very good, very good good," Geth muttered, "Now. Ye must now get to know each other a bit. Can't be makin' potions with uh person you don't know about! Go on then, go on."

Hiccup turned to the girl, about to introduce himself, when she stuck out her hand and said loudly, "Ah'm Merida Dunbroch."

"Hiccup," he replied, taking her hand slowly and shaking it.

"Hiccup? What kind o' name is Hiccup?" she asked.

"Mine…" Hiccup trailed off.

"Och, sorry. Didnae mean tae offend. Juist an unusual name, is all."

"Yeah, I get that a lot," Hiccup grumbled.

"Quiet down! I will have quiet!" Professor Geth announced. No one bothered to remind her that she was the one who told them to talk to each other in the first place. "Good, good. Now, then, get started on the potion. Go on, then, go on."

A Ravenclaw by the name of Michel raised his hand and said, "Umm, you didn't tell us what potion we're supposed to make."

"Well, obviously! I forgot, so make me a remember potion! Go on then, git to it!" Geth told them.

Next to Hiccup, Merida grumbled. "Remember potions ur sae solid!"

"Solid?" Hiccup questioned.

"Och, Ah meant hard," Merida corrected.

"Oh…well I know how to make one, so let's get started…"

Roughly forty minutes later, Merida and Hiccup had one cauldron of successfully made remember potion. Two seats in front of them, Rapunzel had her own pot with her partner.

"Very good, yes yes, good, very good," Geth mumbled, but her words didn't mean much. Getting a 'good' or a 'very good' wasn't a guarantee that you made the potion right. She passed by Hiccup and Merida, gave a nod and said, "Good, good," and continued on, making little marks on her scroll. She went back to the front of the class and said, "Now, now, homework, make sure you haven't been slacking all summer. You'll get into fours, yes, fours for a project. Make me some forget potion. Not some, I need twelve ounces exactly, yes. And groups, yes, groups of four. Two from each house, Ravenclaw and Gryffindor. Go on then, class is over."

As they packed up, Hiccup looked over to Rapunzel and caught her eye, then gave her a nod towards Merida. The blonde smiled and shook her head yes, then went back to her things. "Hey Merida," he started, "Want to do the group project with me and my friend Rapunzel? We'll need one more from your house, though."

Merida shrugged. "Sure. Ye'r smart, sae a won't fail. An' ah hae a friend who kin be th' fourth member."

"Great. Glad we got that sorted early," Hiccup breathed.

Merida nodded and said, "Weel, see ye!" She grabbed her things and left for her next class.

Rapunzel came up next to him and asked, "So will she be in our group?"

"Yeah, and she has a friend who can be with us also," Hiccup informed her.

"That's good. Now let's get to Transfiguration," she urged, tugging him away.

At the same time, Merida ran from potions all the way to Divinations. It really sucked having to go from the lowest point of the castle to the highest point, all within the span of less than ten minutes. Oh well. At least she got one of the smarty-pants Ravenclaws as her partner for the potions project. Then again, nearly all the Ravenclaws were smarty-pants. Whatever. She knew she wasn't failing this assignment.

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><p>Far away from Hogwarts, Jack sat atop a small wooden house, admiring his work as snow fell softly to the ground. Something rumbled, and with a jerk he looked up. Dark storm clouds were forming, a snowstorm coming with it. He could see figures darting in and out of the storm, getting ready to strick. So they had found him again. He'd just have to keep moving.<p>

Jack jumped from the house and zoomed away, flying as fast as he could go. The Winter Sprites chased him, shouting and sending blasts of ice his way. Knowing he'd be overrun if he didn't lose them soon, Jack descended into the forest below and darted in and out of the trees, using his reflexes and agility to speed though them without crashing. The Sprites were not so lucky, as many of them ran into trees or even into each other.

Eventually, Jack escaped them all, and he landed on a tree to catch his breath. That had been close. He'd have to be more careful next time.


	3. White Christmas

**I enjoyed writing these last three chapters. And also hated it, because of how much Jack missed out on.**

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><p>White Christmas<p>

"I keep time, but I'm not a clock. I like to travel, but I never move. Everything needs me, but no one will look at my face. What am I?"

Merida stared blankly at the entrance to the Ravenclaw tower. She shifted the gifts tucked under her arm as she said, "Uhhh…Cuid ye repeat that?"

"I keep time, but I'm not a clock. I like to travel, but I never move. Everyone needs me, but no one will look at my face. What am I?"

Stupid riddle to get into Ravenclaw tower. Couldn't they just have a password like everyone else? Oh well, she'll just have to solve it. Okay…

What does everything need? Water? Food? Sleep? Warmth? None of those fit the other descriptions. Besides, not everything needs sleep. Hmmm…likes to travel but never moves? Well that makes no sense. Keeps time, but isn't a clock. Okay, so what keeps time? Aren't there people who ring bells to signal the hour? But that doesn't work. Sun dials keep time. There's one in the garden at caslte Dunbroch. But a sun dial doesn't fit the description. Although…a sun dial keeps time by the sun, which can also keep time by deciding where it is in the sky! And it likes to travel –it goes across the sky- but it never actually moves. And nothing can look at it, or else they'd be blind!

"Is it th' sun?" Merida asked, hope rising.

"Correct," was the response, and the door opened.

Huge grin on her face, Merida triumphantly walked into the deserted common room. Most everyone had gone home for the holidays, and the few Ravenclaws still here were at breakfast.

"Hiccup? Rapunzel?" Merida called. Both came running down the stairs from their respective dormitories, each carrying presents underneath their arms.

"Merry Christmas!" Rapunzel announced, a wide smile planted on her face. "I'm so glad my mother let me spend it here!"

"Aye, same 'ere," Merida agreed.

"I'm just glad I don't have to be home for the holidays," Hiccup huffed. He sat down by the fire and set down his gifts, Rapunzel and Merida following. "So, how do we want to open presents?" Hiccup asked. Despite this being their fourth year at Hogwarts, this was the only time all three of them were there for Christmas.

"Let's go in a circle," Rapunzel suggested. "You go first," she said to Hiccup, holding up her gift to him.

"Okay…" he unwrapped the bright paper and smiled when he revealed a blank notebook that proudly held his full name at the bottom, etched in gold. "Wow," he said, "Thanks."

"Well, you're always trying not to lose all those ideas and drawings of yours, so I thought this would keep you organized!" Rapunzel replied.

Hiccup chuckled and handed his gift to Merida. "Leave it to you to make it about staying organized, or schoolwork."

Merida snorted with him, and accepted the gift with a wide smile. Defiantly, she held it up to her ear and shook it. It was short and thin, but long, and decorated with Gryffindor style wrapping paper. She unwrapped it to reveal a pretty quill with golden feathers, and a black tip.

"It's enchanted," Hiccup explained, "It doesn't need any ink, and it automatically fixes any grammatical or spelling mistakes."

Merida's eyes widened. "This will mak' writing essays a million times easier!" she exclaimed. "Thank ye!" Giving a small laugh, she handed her gift to Rapunzel.

The blonde haired girl took it and opened it slowly, carefully pulling back the paper as if it was going to explode. Merida rolled her eyes at her antics, but didn't say anything. Rapunzel just liked opening things with care.

Once she finally got the paper off, Rapunzel found herself with a white box. When she pulled of the lid (carefully, of course), her smile grew tenfold as she revealed brand new paints, all good quality, with brushes of different sizes to go along with it.

"Oh thank you Merida!" Rapunzel cried, "I love it!"

Merida laughed as Hiccup held up another gift, giving it to Rapunzel. "Now we switch!" he announced.

Rapunzel giggled and, once again, carefully undid the wrapping paper. She squealed when she saw that it was three new books, each one rather thick, all bearing different titles.

"These are some of my favorite stories," Hiccup said, "I hope you like them…"

"I love them!" Rapunzel cried.

"Uh, you haven't read them yet."

"I don't need to! If you like them, then they're bound to be good!"

"If by guid, ye mean bore ye tae death, then sure," Merida teased.

Hiccup hit her lightly in the arm while Rapunzel rolled her eyes and handed the red-head her gift. Merida stuck her tongue out childishly at the Viking boy before tearing at the bright paper. She found a wooden box, and when she opened it, it revealed a state-of-the-art broom repair kit. "Ah needed one o' these!" Merida cried. She was, after all, one of the Gryffindor's best chasers in Quidditch.

"I know you did, that's why I got you one," Rapunzel joked, earning a shove.

"Weel, thank ye. Noo for Hic," she said, handing the last gift to Hiccup.

"Don't call me Hic," he grumbled as he accepted the present.

"It's gonna tae happen, sae dinnae fight it...Hic," Merida replied.

Hiccup rolled his eyes but still offered her a smile as he unwrapped his gift. When he looked down, his jaw literally dropped at what he saw. Somehow, in some way, Merida had tracked down a real, genuine Berkian pendant from the ancient days! "Where…where did you find this?" he asked, lifting it up to show that it hung on a leather chord.

"Ah found it in an auld ruin back at home. It looked familiar, sae Ah looked it up, 'n' sure enough, it's authentic!" Merida replied proudly.

"Wow," Hiccup breathed, running his hand over the design imprinted on the metal. "Not even my father has one of these! Not one of the original ones, I mean."

"How do you know it's original?" Rapunzel asked.

"The design," Hiccup replied, pointing, "Our crest has changed a bit in the last few centuries. See, here the dragon is curled more like a spiral. Nowadays, our crest is more like a dragon curled up in a circle. You can only see this kind of crest in our really old books, like the dragon manual." Awed, Hiccup pulled the chord around his neck and tied it off, letting the pendant hang over his clothes. "I still can't believe you found this!" he exclaimed.

Merida shrugged, a satisfied smirk planted on her face. "It was nothing,' really. Ah juist got lucky searching thro' those auld ruins. Ah asked mah faither aboot it, 'n' he said that a crest lik' that hadn't bin aroond fur centuries. An' it kept me from huvin tae buy ye a Christmas gift!" she added.

"Well, thank you. This really means a lot."

"Now dinnae go all sappy oan me!" she teased.

They all laughed, and the great teasing/sarcasm war began.

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><p>That night, actually rather close to the magical castle, a lonely soul lounged on top of a building in London, looking wistfully into warm homes where children unwrapped gifts and shared love and laughter. With a sigh, Jack turned and looked up at the stars. At least they never left him. Sure, they changed, but he could always find familiar stars again. And they ran with him. When he zoomed away from those chasing him, they ran with him. They were slower, but they eventually caught up. Jack rather wished he could a star at the moment. Then everyone would see him, and look at him, and no one would chase him.<p>

With pain written all over his face, Jack slowly lifted himself up and turned towards the city. He gave London and all of the U.K. a white Christmas, one that caused children to run out into the streets and play, and build snowmen, and throw snowballs. One that brought them so much joy, but none to the actual maker.

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><p><strong>So, an overall general view of them growing up, but Jack staying the same. Next chapter, things pick up.<strong>


	4. Hiding Spot

**Hullo...I've got nothing to say, so enjoy!**

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><p>Chapter 4<p>

Jack wandered around the dark forest, freezing things at random, bored yet relieved at the same time. He had nothing to do, but at the moment, the magic in this forest was enough to hide him from Mab, who had been on his tail only hours earlier. He was now waiting her out here. But...there was absolutely nothing to do. If he froze the entire forest for fun, he'd be noticed. If he flew higher than only about thirty feet above the trees, the magic in the forest would no longer be strong enough to mask him. At least he was safe...for now.

Mab would eventually find him. She always found him. It was completely true when she said that he could run but never, ever hide. The only place where Jack could probably be hidden indefinitely was the Summer kingdom, but there was no way they'd let a Winter spirit in there. So, his only option was to run, and keep running, forever. That, or be a slave to Mab.

As Jack walked on, he started to notice that the magic was getting thicker in the air, like a dense fog. It was almost nauseating, to the point where Jack had to stop and lean against his staff for a moment. He soon adapted to the magic, however, and it strengthened him, like refueling. Sure, the fuel was not exactly what he used, but it was powerful and strong all the same.

Jack soaked in the magic, letting a smile play on his lips, and closed his eyes. He had no idea where he was, but this forest was awesome. Until he heard the footsteps. They were soft, almost silent, but everything makes a sound. Jack's eyes flew open, though he knew it wasn't Mab. She would have had a different approach.

The spirit whirled around, staff raised, and struck an offensive position at the intruder. He was met with the surprise look of an old man wearing long, black robes. He raised his hands slightly, giving him a curious look, before saying, "Sorry to intrude. I won't hurt you."

Jack slowly lowered his staff, but kept it at the ready. "Who are you?" he asked, "What kind of spirit?"

"My name is Alrik Daggle. And I'm not sure what you mean by 'spirit,'" he replied. "And you are?"

"Jack," he said slowly. "Are you not a spirit? Or perhaps a sprite? Or...a Fey?" He didn't look like he had pointed ears, but then again, his ears were mostly covered by white hair.

"Fey?" Alrik mumbled. "Hmmm...are you a magical being of some sorts? That would make sense."

"Yes...and you...are a human?" Jack asked. When Alrik nodded, he said, "Then how can you see me? Only people you believe in spirits can see them."

"Well, I think I believe in just about everything," Alrik commented, "But I think it more has to do with the fact that I am magical too. I am a wizard." He smiled kindly through his spectacles, brown eyes twinkling in amusement.

"Huh. No pointy hat?" Jack asked.

Alrik laughed. "I have a pointy hat. But I rather dislike it. And, before you ask, I do have a broom, though I have not ridden it in a while."

"Are there witches too?" Jack asked.

"Of course. And they are taught at magical schools. There is one only a mile from here. I am the Headmaster there. School is out for the summer, but I usually come a couple weeks early to...get accommodated."

"So that's where all the magic was coming from," Jack commented. "Good for me, helps hide my own magic."

"Why would you want to hide your magic?" Alrik asked.

"Well...you see, I'm a Winter spirit. And the Winter Queen, Mab, wants me part of her court. But she's really evil and wicked and I don't want to be her servant, so I've been running from her, but she can always find me. I've been waiting out in this forest because the magic helps me hide."

"Interesting..." Alrik mused. "I suppose the closer you get to Hogwart -the magical school near here- the stronger the magic is?"

"Yes, I have noticed it getting denser," Jack confirmed.

"How much magic would it take to hide you completely, so that she wouldn't be able to find you?" Alrik asked.

Jack huffed. "A lot. I've tried other places filled with magic, but it only worked for at most a couple months. It would take a massive amount, and new constant magic too. I've found that if there's new magic coming in, then it is harder to find me."

Alrik smiled. "Like, hundreds of students learning new spells every day?" he asked.

"Well, yes, I suppose. Do you know a place like that?" Jack asked hopefully.

"I am the Headmaster at the greatest magical school in the world," Alrik replied proudly. "I think you could hide in Hogwarts, all year long."

"You...would let me do that?" Jack asked. Nobody had ever been this kind to him before.

"Of course! What kind of man would I be if I didn't help you? Although, you'd have to pose as a student," he warned.

"That'd be great!" Jack cried, "A whole year of not worrying? That's better than I could have ever hoped for."

"Of course, summer will come again, and the students will leave," Alrik reminded him, "I'm happy to let you come back every year, even make you look younger so that you can continue without detection, but there is not much I can help you with during the summer. I don't know if the magic at Hogwarts will be strong enough then."

"I don't care!" Jack decided, "Only having to worry for three months compared to every second of every day is definitely worth it! What do I have to do?"

"Well, school begins in two weeks. Until then, there's some things you should get used to..."

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><p>Jack was nervous beyond belief. Hundreds upon hundreds of young children, and every one of them could see him! Not only that, but they were staring at him! Staring while a professor announced him as an exchange student, then put an old hat on his head that would somehow sort him. Then, of all things, it spoke to him!<p>

"Well, well, well. What do we have here? Jack Frost, Winter Spirit."

"Don't tell anyone!" Jack said urgently.

"Don't worry, your secret is safe with me," the hat assured him. "Now lets see where to put you. Hmmm, independant...quick...clever, but only when the situation needs you to be. You have a free spirit, one that has been locked up due to your constant running. Not many, actually, no friends, but not by choice. Oh, and what's this? Hidden memories? Lets have a looksie..."

"Wait, what? Hidden memories?" Jack spoke to it, "What do you mean?"

"You time is not yet here. You will remember, but not now. However, these memories have shown me exactly where to put you! GRYFFINDOR!" Jack, still wondering what the hat meant about memories, walked stiffly towards the cheering table. What did it mean, not his time? Gah, stupid magic hat.

Jack sat and was immediately swamped by a red headed girl with a very thick Scottish accent. "Hello!Mah name is Merida! Ye are?"

"Jack," he replied, taking her hand and shaking it.

"Och!" she cried, "Yer haund is lik' ice!"

"Oh, yeah, ummm..."

"Na matter. Ye'll git alang weel wi' us Gryffindors. We're th' hoose o' th' brave! A'm glad th' Sorting Hat put ye in 'ere!"

"Ummm, thanks..."

"Whit year urr ye?" Merida asked, not waiting for his response.

"Uhhh, sixth." That was what Alrik said he looked most like.

"Ah, good! A'm tae. Sae ur mah two friends, Hiccup 'n' Rapunzel, but they're baith in Ravenclaw."

Merida talked for the rest of the meal. Others came up and introduced themselves, overwhelming the spirit. Fortunately, the attention drew Merida away from the fact that Jack wasn't eating anything. Spirits didn't get hungry easily.

Throughout the meal, Jack kept fingering his staff-turned-wand nervously. He was half expecting Mab to come bursting through the double oaken doors and force his submission. The thought terrified him; he would _never_ submit to that monster!

* * *

><p><strong>I'd just like to point out that I wrote this with writers block sooooooooo...mercy?<strong>


	5. First Day

**Still have writer's block. But only for this story. It's sad.**

* * *

><p>Chapter 5<p>

"Hi! I'm Rapunzel!" the bubbly blonde said, sticking out her hand. Jack took it nervously, still not used to contact with human beings. Rapunzel's smile stayed in place even as she said, "Wow! You're hand is really cold!" She said it so randomly and brightly it was almost funny. But it only caused Jack to nod numbly.

"I'm Hiccup," the brown hair boy said next, also holding out your hand. "Welcome to Hogwarts."

"Thanks," Jack mumbled, wondering what else he was supposed to say.

"Oh no!" Rapunzel suddenly cried, "We're gonna be late for class! And on the first day!"

"Whit class dae ye have?" Merida asked him.

"Charms," Jack replied, having looked his schedule over earlier.

"Good, us too. This way!" Hiccup announced, marching away. Rapunzel had already taken off, and was way ahead of them. At the class, they found that Rapunzel had saved seats for them in the front, but Merida forced them to move to the back. This was received with more than a few pouts, but they ended up in the back.

Charms was more than difficult. Jack first had trouble reading the spells; as a Spirit, he didn't read much on a daily basis. His schedule alone took him quite a while to figure out. But the spells...they didn't even make real words! He ended up simply copying whatever Hiccup said, who was his partner. Once he got the spell, however, the magic part was incredibly easy. He was, after all, a magical being.

* * *

><p>"I don't get it," Jack said, looking at the little creature in the cage before them. "Why do we need to know this?"<p>

"It is important to understand all magical creatures out there in order to be ready for them if we encounter them in the wild," Rapunzel recited, almost sounding like she got it from a textbook.

Jack carefully poked the small thing with a stick. It balled its little green fists and shook them at him. "Pixies aren't fun," he muttered.

"They're nasty in bigger numbers," Hiccup explained. "All kinds of pixies are, but forest pixies are some of the worst." The creature harrumphed and fluttered its thing, web-like wings. It clearly did not like being talked about.

"Remember whin punzie thought thay wur cute?" Merida asked.

"Well, they kinda are!" Rapunzel defended, "They just have sharp teeth at the same time."

"I've always hated pixies," Jack commented.

"Had some run-ins with them?" Hiccup asked.

"A couple times. And you're wrong. Forest pixies are annoying, but ice pixies are the worst," Jack told him, "Not only do they have shape teeth, but their bite will usually give you frostbite. Or at least freeze your finger."

"I've seen an ice pixie before," Hiccup said, "Berk sometimes gets them during the winter. They steal things in the middle of the night."

The forest pixie gave a little squeaky laugh and and grinned triumphantly at Hiccup. "You're still locked up," the Viking reminded it, immediately making it frown once more.

"Awww, it looks so sad," Rapunzel cooed.

"It wull an' a' bite yer finger aff if ye let it," Merida reminded her.

"Yeah, but...couldn't we at least give it an extra snack?" Rapunzel asked.

"Pixies don't like accepting what they're given," Jack replied, "They prefer to steal everything."

"Really? How do you know? It's not in the textbook," Hiccup said, flipping through his.

"Experience," the pale teen replied, drawing a crude picture of the pixie down on parchment. "Very bad experience," he added. He looked at his drawing and then compared it to Hiccup's and Rapunzel's with a sigh.

"Dinnae worry. Mynd is awfyl tae," Merida said, showing him her picture. He could hardly tell it was supposed to be a pixie.

As they turned their assignment in, Jack looked back at the pixies and said, "Okay, so I understand why we need to learn about pixies, but why do we have to draw them?"

* * *

><p>"Come on, it's lunch time now," Hiccup said as they exited Potions.<p>

"Back to the Great Hall?" Jack asked.

"Nah. Fur lunch, weh go somewhere else," Merida explained.

"It's like our secret hideout!" Rapunzel added excitedly.

"Only, it isn't a hideout," Hiccup replied.

"Whatever. Let's go!"

Jack followed the three through the corridors and around corners. They came to a dead end wall that sported an ugly painting of a bowl of fruit. Merida walked to the window nearby and pulled a hidden feather from behind the curtains. Then, with a mischievous grin, used it to tickle the pear in the painting. It giggled, and the picture opened, revealing a hidden passageway.

"You have to tickle a pear with a feather for it to open?" Jack questioned as they entered.

"No, just tickle it. But we keep the feather there just because," Rapunzel explained.

"And where does this lead?" Jack asked.

"The kitchen!" Hiccup replied with a smile. "I'm starving!"

"Me tae," Merida agreed.

"Why do you guys eat in the kitchen during lunch?" Jack asked.

"It lets us sit together, and have some peace from the rest of the students," Rapunzel answered, "Plus, the house elves are really nice!"

The tunnel let out into a large room split in two. The half they came out on was a full blown kitchen where little wrinkly elves were rushing about, preparing lunch. On the other half of the room, four long tables sat, just like the ones from the Great Hall. Elves were piling food on the already full table, making sure not a crumb was out of place. Once all the food was on the tables, one elf snapped his fingers and it disappeared, probably appearing on the tables in the Great Hall.

"Over here," Hiccup said, leading Jack towards a smaller table next to the fire that held place settings for three. "The elves make us our own little table for lunch," he explained.

"Master Hiccup!" one elf squeaked, running over. "A pleasure to see you again! Who is Master Hiccup's friend?"

"This is Jack. could you get him a place please?"

"Of course! Pip would be most pleased to get Master Jack a chair and setting!" As the elf scampered off, Rapunzel and Merida scooted over the plates and silverware to make room for a fourth. A different elf set another setting and Pip brought a chair. "Pip is glad to meet Master Hiccup's friend, Master Jack!" he squeaked enthusiastically.

"Pip, I told you, please don't call me master," Hiccup groaned.

"Pip is sorry, Master Hiccup."

"Whatever. Thank you for lunch."

"Pip is pleased to help Master Hiccup!" Pip replied before returning to his duties.

* * *

><p>"You're holding your wand wrong," Rapunzel said softly as she tried to correct Jack's hand. "It's more like this...see?" she asked, showing with her own wand.<p>

"But I still got the spell. Why does it matter how I hold it?" Jack asked.

"It...does," Rapunzel stated firmly. They were in Defense Against the Dark Arts, and the blond was getting a little fed up. Not because Jack was holding his wand wrong, but because he was holding it wrong and still performing all the spells perfectly. She just didn't understand that his natural magical abilities allowed him to hold his 'wand' any way he wanted and still do nearly any spell. "Listen," she said, "Some spells are very complicated and dangerous. Once false move could result in serious injury, even be fatal. it's important to hold your wand correctly, do this does not happen. Now, relax your hand but still keep a firm grip."

"That's literally the opposite," Jack grumbled. Off to the side, Merida snickered at him. That only made him grumble some more. He didn't understand why Rapunzel wanted him to hold his stupid wand right so badly. It wasn't like they were friends, or anything. He had only just met her. Today.

"Just...copy me," Rapunzel decided, holding her wand up. Jack copied her exactly. She still corrected him. It was getting annoying.

Next to them, Hiccup rolled his eyes and said, "Jack, put your thumb on the other side of your wand." He did, and Rapunzel brightened.

"That's right!" she said.

"Why does my thumb make such a big difference?" Jack muttered, not bothering to listen to Rapunzel's answer.


	6. Flying

**Hello...I am very sorry for the long wait. Just got back from vacation, you see. Yesterday... There was no WiFi where I was. Even if there was, I had nothing electronic save my phone and now way am I writing a chapter on my phone. But, anyway, did ya'll have a great Christmas? I did! Enjoy the next chapter!**

* * *

><p>Chapter 6<p>

"Weekend, finally!" Merida breathed as she plopped down in one of the big chairs in the Gryffindor common room.

"What do we do now?" Jack asked, setting his bag down and sitting next to her.

"We hae fun!" she replied, a grin slowly spreading across her face. "Wait 'ere,' she said before sprinting up to her dormitory. Moments later, she raced back down, very nice broom in hand. "C'moan!" she exclaimed, grabbing his hand and pulling him towards the portrait that led to the hall. She dragged him outside all the way to the big stadium sort of thing that had the three hoops on each end. Jack vaguely remembered hearing about a sport called Quidditch, and assumed this was the field it was played on.

"Dae ye hae a broom?" Merida asked him, pulling him away from the field.

Jack shook his head. "I've never ridden one before."

The redhead's eyes widened to the size of saucers. "What! Weel, Ah will hae tae teach ye how! Look 'ere..." She set her broom down on the ground and said confidently, "Up!" It flew from the floor and sprang right into her waiting hand. "Now ye try," she said, setting it down again.

Jack opened his palm over the broom and copied, "Up!" It flew into his hand so fast it would've put him off balance it not for years or learning to ride the Wind.

"Awready great! Most fowk tak' three or four tries afore th' broom comes tae them!" Merida exclaimed.

"What's next?" Jack asked, still holding the broom.

"Next? All that's next is tae ride it! Gae oan, swing one leg over." Jack did so and felt himself levitate off the ground, until the broom became the only thing keeping him in the air. "Now gae!" Merida shouted. Jack shot off, no further prompt needed. He was startled for only a moment before he gained control and found that by leaning he could turn and go up and down. After a minute of zooming around, he got the hand of it and was one with the Wind once more, responding to her currents and calls, only now on a broom. "Oy, Jack!" Merida called from below, "Catch!" She tossed a small brown ball into the air, and Jack zoomed after it. It wasn't hard to catch. But then there was another ball in the air. Jack dropped the one he had right on Merida's head and raced after the next one. After that, two came at once, both caught with ease. It was child's play to him.

When the balls stopped flying, Jack landed next to a grinning Merida. "What?" he asked, wondering if he had done something wrong or funny.

"Ye'r perfect!" Merida cried.

"Excuse me?"

"Ye'r perfect! Fur th' seeker, Ah mean. Oor last seeker juist graduated sae we dinnae hae one this year! But ye'r perfect fur it!"

"Seeker?"

"Ye know, fur tha Gryffindor Quidditch team! If ye'r th' seeker, we'll definitely win th' Quidditch cup! Dae ye wanna be tha seeker?" Merida asked him with her blue eyes widened and pleading.

"Um, sure, I guess. But I've never played Quidditch before," Jack decided.

"That's okay! We'll teach ye! An' git ye uh broom! Ye will have tae try out, though. Malcolm is tha captain, sae he'll be tha one tae decide. But ye'll definitely get it if ye play like that!"

"Umm, great. But...could you teach me how to play first?" Jack asked, feeling a little overwhelmed.

"Well, it's like this..." Merida launched into a full explanation of how Quidditch worked, what the players did, and how to win. "So ye'll be tha one tae catch that Snitch!" she finished.

"It sounds like the most important part of the game," Jack said slowly, "What if I mess up?"

"Dinna worry. Play lik' how ye wur earlier an' nothin' kin gae wrong!" Merida assured him. "But weh do have tae git ye uh broom..." she mused, "An' uh fast one at that. Mine's tha Nimbus 201. Tha latest model. Ah think Ah could git ye one tae."

"Okay..." Jack said, not sure what he was supposed to say, "Umm...Merida?"

"Hmm?"

"I know it's your broom, but...it was really fun riding it. Could I...could I go again?" he asked slowly, not sure how she would react. Did normal humans do this?

Merida brightened. "O' course ye can! An' Ah'll git Malcolm tae show 'im yur amazin' flyin' skills!"

Jack smiled and took the offered broom. He got on eagerly and shot into the air. He may have to lay off flying for a while, but at least he could ride a broom. It wasn't all that different than simply with the Wind. Perhaps it was a little less maneuverable, but he was fine with that. So long as he could catch that little ball called the Snitch.

* * *

><p>The tall boy looked Jack up and down, smiling slightly. "Yep," Malcolm, the Gryffindor Quidditch captain, said, "You were right Merida. He is a natural. You sure you've never ridden a broom before?" he asked Jack.<p>

"Well, kind of. Not exactly a broom, but I guess you could say it was," Jack stuttered, not sure how to answer.

"And you've never played Quidditch before?" Malcolm asked next.

"Never. I have good aim, though," Jack supplied, though he wasn't sure how that would help.

"I'm sure you do, but we don't need any more chasers," he said, "And from what I've just seen, you'd make a great seeker."

"So...I'll try out then," Jack said, struggling with a smile. Why was this so hard for him? He used to play with kids all the time whenever he could spare the time. Laughing, making jokes, and smiling were all second nature. Then again, those children could never see him. And besides, he'd never had fun with kids over the age of ten or eleven. Malcolm was seventeen. And really tall. It made him nervous.

"I don't think you need to try out," Malcolm decided, "I mean, our last seeker, Celia, is playing professional but I'd say your better than her! You are definitely our new seeker! I'm so glad you got sorted into Gryffindor. The other houses don't stand a chance!"

"Yes!" Merida cheered, pumping her fist in the air. "Gae Gryffindor!"

Jack cracked a smile and repeated, "Go Gryffindor!" since it seemed like the thing to say.


	7. Hogsmeade and New Brooms

Chapter 7

It was a Saturday. The whether was getting a little colder as Autumn began to approach. The leaves on the trees were turning yellow and red and orange, and Halloween was now only a month away.

Today, the four were going down to Hogsmeade. Jack vaguely knew of it from when he had flown over, bringing snow days, from before. According to Hiccup, it was one of the few remaining communities made up entirely of wizards and witches. "My home is also completely magical, but I live on an island in the middle of nowhere, so no one ever visits it," he added as an afterthought.

Jack wasn't sure what to expect. Part of him was expecting stores that sold eyeballs and teeth while little old women covered in warts turned small children into toads. The other part of him thought it would be something similar to Hogwarts. Turns out, he was completely wrong.

Hogsmeade was a small little town that had a main-street running through it that mostly had shops and stores. Surrounding it, houses made of wood and stone stretched a little ways towards the mountains and reached all the way to the edge of the forest on either side. People bustled about, buying new potions or getting drinks at the local pubs, almost looking normal aside from the occasional broom or random floating object.

Rapunze, Merida, and Hiccup took Jack first to a little tavern called the Three Broomsticks. It was crowded and loud and frankly quite dirty, but apparently it was the place to be. "You have to try this!" Rapunzel exclaimed, shoving him a butterbeer. Jack tentatively took a sip and forced it down his throat. The flavor itself was rather pleasant, but it left a warm feeling that reached all the way to his toes. Jack grimaced and pushed it away. "You don't like it?" Rapunzel asked incredulously.

Jack wasn't sure how to respond. He couldn't just say that the warm, fuzzy feeling the drink left was not healthy for a Winter spirit such as himself. So he simply shook his head and replied, "Not really. It's too sweet."

"Ye are sae weird," Merida commented offhandedly. "Anyways, lets git tae Honeydukes!" She jumped up, slapping a few gold coins down on the table, and gestured for them all to follow her.

"What's Honeydukes?" Jack asked.

"A sweet shop. It has everything from chocolate frogs to blood lollipops," Hiccup replied. And he was right. It had everything. Jack had never seen so many sweets before in his life.

Merida grabbed just about one of everything and dropped it all on the counter, paying for it all. "Merida always buys the sweets," Rapunzel muttered to him ,"She gets really offended if you try to buy any of your own, so just let her."

"She doesn't mind paying for it all?" Jack asked.

"Nah," Hiccup said, "It's not like she could run out of money anyway."

"Ah got it all!" Merida announced, carrying two heavy bags in each hand. She shoved one in Jack's hand and the other in Hiccup's stating, "Boy's git tae carry tha stuff! Now let's gae!"

They began to make their way back to Hogwarts, when Rapunzel suddenly stumbled and nearly fell. She let out a soft cry of alarm as she straitened and brought her hand to the back of her head. Mud and dirt was stuck to her blonde hair, obviously from some sort of mud ball. Turning, Jack saw four boys and a girl all laughing, the one in front tossing another mud ball around. They all wore green, and bore the symbol of Slytherin.

"Kennal," Merida growled.

"Who?" Jack asked.

He didn't receive an answer as the boy in front said, "Hey nerd! I don't think your hair is long enough! Maybe you should cut it!" Rapunzel's face turned a deep shade of red as she grasped at her hair protectively.

Merida stepped forward and said angrily, "Ye dinnae talk ta her like that!"

"Or what? You'll call your daddy on me?" he taunted.

"Shut yer trap, Kennal!" Merida spat.

Hiccup tugged on her arm. "We should just go," he said, struggling to pull her away.

"Yeah, go on," Kennal taunted, "Listen to the nerd."

"Hey!" Jack said, unable to stay silent.

"Look, its the new kid!" Kennal drawled. "Nice accent!" he shouted sarcastically, "And hair too, you freak!"

"He's not a freak!" Hiccup shouted back.

"He's a freak just like you nerd!"

Jack grew angry. he had only been here for little more than a month, but Hiccup and Rapunzel had been kind and welcoming to him from the start. He didn't like this guy bullying them. He had encountered bullies before, picking on little kids who couldn't defend themselves. He often stepped in and helped behind the scenes, making sure that the poor kid getting picked on would come out okay.

Before he really knew he was doing it, Jack had formed a snowball in his hand and threw it straight at Kennal, hard. It hit him in the face with such force, that he stumbled back a few steps. It was a moment later that Jack realized his mistake. It wasn't snowing. Kennal seemed to catch that as well. "Wha?" he stuttered, looking at Jack in confusion.

Thinking quickly, Jack pulled out his wand/staff and gave it a flick. At the same time, another snowball formed in his right hand. "A little trick I learned back at home!" Jack said before chucking it at Kennal. He tried to duck, but got hit anyway. Moments later, his friends were being pelted with snowballs as well. Jack kept his wand up, making it seem like he knew some sort of spell that summoned snowballs of doom. Behind him, Merida, Rapunzel, and Hiccup were laughing their heads off as each of Kennal's friends got pelted several times over, until they ran off. Since there was no actual snow on the ground, there was no way to fight back. Mud balls took too long to make.

"Tha' was awesome!" Merida cried when they left. "Whit kind o' spell was that?!"

"I've never read anything like that before!" Rapunzel added.

Jack's cheeks turned blue as he blushed, before replying, "I don't really know what kind of spell it is. A lot of us learned it a young age. I was particularly good at it."

"You'll have to teach it to us sometime," Hiccup said, huge grin on his face, "You sure showed Kennal and his goons!"

"Yeah, who were those guys anyway?" Jack asked.

"Jus' some Slytherins who've taken uh special hatin' tae us since our firs' year," Merida said casually, like it was no big deal. "Tha guy in front was Marcus Kennel. 'es not very nice."

"We mostly just ignore them," Rapunzel added as she brushed the dirt from her hair.

"But...what they did was awful!" Jack protested, "I mean, they threw dirt at you!"

Rapunzel shrugged. "We could try telling a teacher, but they'd never believe us. Believe it or not, Kennal and his friends managed to turn nearly all the teachers in their favor by kissing up to them."

"Now they think they are complete goodie-goodies," Hiccup explained.

"It sucks," Merida summed up.

"So, they only bully people when their's no teacher around?" Jack questioned.

"Exactly," Rapunzel agreed.

Jack nodded, tucking away that little piece of information away for later use. He was contemplating different ways he could get back at them when Merida suddenly brightened and announced, "Ah jus' thought o' something! Jack, with ye on our team now for Quidditch, tha Slytherins don' stand uh chance! We'll show 'em then!" she said cheerily.

"I...guess," Jack admitted, though he wasn't entirely sure. He had only just begun practicing with the team, and he had yet to get his own broom, though Merida said she had it taken care of. Their first match wasn't for another two weeks, but he was still nervous. He'd never played a team sport before, unless you counted snowball fights with kids who couldn't see him.

* * *

><p>"I live, I die, I live, I die, over and over and over again. What am I?" Jack and Merida glanced at each other, then back to the entrance of the Ravenclaw tower. Stupid riddles.<p>

"Any idea?" Merida asked.

Jack shifted the package in his hands and shook his head. "No. Maybe...a flower?"

The door didn't open, so he assumed it was wrong.

"Why uh flower?" Merida asked.

"You know, 'cause they close up at night and open again in the morning."

"But they don' die," Merida argued.

"Well, it wasn't they answer anyway, so...any idea?"

Merida sighed and rubbed her temples in frustration. "Maybe uh...candle? 'Cause ye relight it 'n' stuff?"

"A phoenix?" Jack tried.

They held their breath as the entrance spoke again, but let it out as it said, "No, but good answer."

"Is the entrance to the Ravenclaw tower giving me sass?" Jack asked.

"Ah think its bein' sincere," Merida replied.

"Or it could be having a good laugh because day in and day out its always the same, smart people coming buy, getting the answer right on the first try," Jack bit back.

"Tha's it!" Merida cried.

"That's what?"

"Tha answer! Day in, day out...it's that day!"

"Correct," came the reply, and the door opened.

"Ah figured it out!" Merida called happily as she stepped into the Ravenclaw tower.

"I gave you the idea for it!" Jack shouted back, wanting some of the credit.

"But ye wouldn't 'ave figured it out if not for meh!"

"Shhh," one of the Ravenclaw's sitting in the common room interrupted, putting a finger to their lips.

"Sorry," Merida muttered, "We're lookin' for 'Iccup 'n' Rapunzel."

"We're over here," Hiccup called, rolling his eyes at their lack of observation.

"We could here you from outside," Rapunzel added with a smile. "And Merida, if it weren't for Jack, you wouldn't have figured it out either."

Merida harrumphed and sat down next to them. Jack smiled triumphantly and gave her a cheeky smirk before turning to the others. "Guess what came in the mail today!" he said, proudly showing the package in his hands. It was long and thin, and clearly holding a broom.

"Ooo, open it!" Rapunzel squealed. Merida's frown vanished as Jack ripped it open to reveal a beautiful Nimbus 201, same as hers.

"Who go it for you?" Hiccup asked, marveling over the smoothness of the handle.

"I don't know, Merida said she took care of it," Jack replied, not catching the wink she sent to Rapunzel and Hiccup. He was too absorbed with the new broom. He had never gotten a gift before in his life.

"Well, enough gawkin' at it," Merida decided, standing up. "Let's give it uh spin!"

Jack grinned and raced after her, Rapunzel and Hiccup following close behind.


	8. Quidditch

Chapter 8

Jack was shaking. He had never been more nervous before in his life. He stood in the Gryffindor changing room, dressed in his Quidditch robes, and clutching his broom tightly while Malcolm gave his impromptu pep talk before the game. Merida stood next to him, grinning wildly and looking like she was totally pumped and ready to go.

"Okay, we're facing Hufflepuff today," Malcolm said, "We all know that Tracy Hansen is an amazing chaser, so Mark, Alice, keep tabs on her (Mark and Alice were the beaters). Their goalie is okay, but has trouble with the left hoop. Chasers, keep that in mind. And Jack-" Malcolm turned to him and said, "Their seeker is sloppy and uncoordinated, but she's really fast, and she does have a good dive. I'm sure you'll have absolutely no trouble, but don't get too cocky, 'k?"

"Got it," Jack agreed, though he hardly felt it. It was one thing to fly by himself with the Wind, throwing snowballs and making children laugh. It was a whole other thing to go out in front of hundreds of students who would surely mock him if he made the slightest mistake. He had even embarrassed himself in front of other Spirits before, but to him, those times didn't even come close to what he was feeling now.

Walking out, Jack had to physically concentrate to make sure it didn't start snowing, a reflection on his mood. It always started to snow around him if his emotions went wacky in any direction. A week ago, he nearly made it snow inside the Great Hall when he successfully pulled off a prank on Marcus Kennal. He had been laughing so hard... But now, he needed to focus. He supposed that if it started to snow, then Hogwarts could tough it. He had his mind on other things.

Jack looked over at the Hufflepuff team and began to relax. They were all smiling, waving, and giving friendly handshakes to his teammates. He knew that Hufflepuffs were overly friendly. He also knew not to underestimate them when it came to Quidditch (he had watched them practice, and they could actually get rather brutal). But, in the end, they would never intentionally hurt anyone. Jack was just happy they weren't up against Slytherin first.

"Nervous?" Merida whispered to them while Malcolm and the Hufflepuff Quidditch captain shook hands.

"Nope. You?"

"Nah. This is gonna be fun!" He looked over to see her crazy grin still in place. Her hair was tied back in a thick ponytail and tucked into her robes. She held her broom loosely and casually, like she didn't have a care in the world.

"How long have you been playing Quidditch?" Jack asked her.

"Ever since Ah was uh wee lil' one. Ah had tae git special permission tae play mah firs' year, but Ah did." Merida grinned at his nervousness and asked, "Havin' second thoughts?"

"No, just..."

"Afraid o' heights?"

The thought of Jack being afraid of heights was so absurd that he actually laughed. "No, I'm not afraid of heights. Just afraid of screwing up in front of hundreds of people. And if I do, I'll let down a fourth of them, give teasing ammunition to another fourth, and make another fourth very pleased." Jack was referring to The Gryffindor, Slytherin, and Hufflepuff students, respectively. There was also the last fourth, the Ravenclaws, but he figured they wouldn't care one way or another.

"Mount your brooms!" Professor Stup announced.

Merida gave him a reassuring smile and said, "Ye'll dae fine," before mounting her broom.

Jack got on his as well, and suddenly fourteen players shot up into the air. Immediately, he went high and began to observe, doing wide loops around the field. It was getting a little darker, and colder as well, but he could still see fine.

Down below, Merida made a goal almost immediately. She used surprise and speed to get a shot in before anyone had time to react. He had been told that that was her signature move, and no matter what others did to try and stop it, she always managed to get a goal in right in the beginning of the game. He heard groans from the Hufflepuffs, but nobody seemed all that surprised.

After that first goal, the game seemed to actually start. Hufflepuff got the Quaffle but Gryffindor got it back. Then Hufflepuff had it again, but a well aimed Bludger knocked it from her hands. Professor Stup was the announcer, and gave a running commentary of everything that went on. He was actually really funny, but Jack tuned him out, for the most part. He was more focused on finding the Snitch.

The score was 50-30 Gryffindor before Jack even saw sight of the Snitch. It was only for a moment, a tiny little glimmer of gold next to the Hufflepuff's hoops. He dived downward, and the opposing seeker followed. She stayed behind him, however, so it was safe to assume she had not actually seen it yet, but was only following his lead.

The Snitch darted away the moment they came withing twenty feet of it. By this time, the other seeker had seen it as well, and zoomed off to chase it. Malcolm was right, she was fast. But Jack was faster. He leaned down low on his broom and sped forward. He could feel the air currents around, sense the shift and changes in direction. He could even feel the breath of the students cheering in the stands next to him.

Jack easily caught up with the seeker. He flashed her a friendly grin before pushing ahead, getting closer and closer to the Snitch. He felt a slight change in the way its golden wings were beating, and he turned sharply to the left, almost in sync with the little, flying ball. It jerked to the right, and, again, he sensed it less than a millisecond later and turned his broom accordingly. He was so close now, he could practically reach out with his hand and grab it. Just another inch, and...

Something disrupted the air waves around him, and Jack served out of the way instinctively. A Bludger barreled past him, and one of the the Hufflepuff beaters sat on his broom not too far away, looking mighty pleased with himself. By the time Jack had straightened, the Snitch was nowhere to be found. He quickly looked around and saw that the other seeker was still present, meaning she didn't know where it was either. Jack gave the beater a death glare and turned to fly back above the game. All he got in return was a very satisfied smirk.

By this time, the score was tied. Jack wasn't sure exactly when Hufflepuff made two goals, but he didn't have time to figure it out. He needed to find that Snitch! He'd also have to remember to watch out for beaters. If he hadn't been so focused on catching the Snitch, he probably could've avoided it and still remain on course. He'd have to work on that later. However, thinking back on it, that beater had to be good to hit the Bludger right at him at the speeds he was going. It was hard enough to throw a snowball that came even close to Jack Frost, much less one that caused him to actually have to dodge it (and he had never been hit before). Granted, this was a Bludger, not a snowball, but still. He'd have to keep an eye out for that beater.

Eight and a half minutes later, the Snitch was still nowhere in sight. The score was up by 80-70 Hufflepuff, but no one seemed to be tiring. Jack was bored, however. He couldn't afford to watch the game, but it was dull watching out for a tiny golden ball. His eyes drifted over to the crowds where he spotted Rapunzel and Hiccup. They were cheering like crazy, mostly calling to Merida. And -though how they got their fellow Ravenclaws to do it, Jack had no idea- they even had their entire section of the stands to start up a Gryffindor cheer. Jack would learn later that Gryffindor and Ravenclaw had this sort of agreement to cheer for each other, so long as they weren't facing against each other. He would also learn that it was Hiccup, Rapunzel, and Merida who first started this.

A sudden movement caught Jack's eye. Over to the left, the Hufflepuff seeker had dived down again. Jack was about to follow her, but he couldn't see the Snitch anywhere. He shrugged and followed anyway, just in case. He wasn't going to lose just because he didn't see the Snitch. Jack caught up with her and began looking around wildly, trying to find the little golden ball, and spotted it chilling over by the teacher stands. He glanced over at the seeker and noticed she was grinning from ear to ear. It was then that Jack remembered Malcolm saying that the Hufflepuff seeker had a good dive. He remembered watching the seeker during practice one time, performing near-impossible dives that would drive most people into the ground.

Jack looked down and saw the grassy turf rising to meet him. He had seconds, if even that. But he didn't panic. Instead, he flashed the seeker one of his trademark grins, and kept going. She pulled up and swerved around to chase the Snitch. He should've pulled up as well, if he wanted any chance at not hitting the ground at top speeds. But Jack was no normal boy. He was Jack Frost, Prince of Pranks, one with the Wind and the Ice. Hardly a second before he was going to crash, he suddenly leveled out, feet ruffling the grass beneath him, and pulled up. The speed he acquired while diving now worked for him as he zoomed past the Hufflepuff seeker faster than she could ever react to. He reached out and caught the Snitch before it had a chance to dart away, holding it high for all to see.

"And Jack Frost catches the Snitch after a spectacular dive!" Professor Stup announced. Gryffindor and Ravenclaw erupted into cheers while Hufflepuffs sighed in defeat and Slytherins grunted in disgust. Jack turned around and slowly made his way towards the ground. He passed by the Hufflepuff seeker, to which he grinned and said, "Nice dive! But, and no offense to you or anyone, dives are and always will be _my _thing."

The seeker only laughed and replied, "Don't worry, I completely agree with you! You'll have to show me that sometime!"

"A magician never gives away his secrets!" Jack shot back. He was glad that she was a good sport about the whole thing. He seemed like a decent girl, a fact that eluded him on the field. On the field, it's either ally or enemy.

Jack landed and held the Snitch proudly into the air. A huge grin was plastered on his face, and it wouldn't be coming off soon either. Soon, his team had landed as well and they were giving him pats and praises, cheering and whooping all the way.

"Ah told ye ye'd be fine!" Merida exclaimed giving him a big hug. "Tha' dive was amazin'! Ye never did anythang o' tha sorts in practice!"

"Jack!" Rapunzel called behind him before he had a chance to respond to her. He was enveloped in a tight hug and was nearly knocked over as the blonde enthusiastically started rambling. "That was amazing! You were amazing! I've never seen anything like that before! K.C, she's the seeker, has always been the best at those dives, but...wow!"

Hiccup was behind her and said, "Okay, I think you're choking him. But, yeah, that was super awesome, Jack."

Jack was blushing a deep blue, and pride filled up his eyes. He'd never received praise like this before...ever. Other spirits always scorned him, said he did something wrong _again, _but those three and the rest of the Gryffindor house said nothing but how much he did _right. _It felt...amazing. Even more amazing than actually catching the Snitch.

Ravenclaw and Gryffindor had a grand party in a random, empty room on the fourth floor. Apparently, it had been abandoned for years, and it was the official inter-house party place. Ravenclaw and Gryffindor used it the most, since they were really the only ones who had formed a sort of alliance between houses, but Hufflepuff often joined. Slytherin never used it, and was never invited. Tonight, some Hufflepuffs _did _come, and all were good sports and even joked with the Gryffindor team about the game. Halfway through the night, Jack ran into the seeker.

"Oh, hi!" she exclaimed. She looked to be about his age, though she was a bit short. Jack remembered having charms with her, so that meant she must be in his year.

"Hey," Jack said, "Great game."

"Yeah, you were really good. Jack, right?" He nodded. "Cool, I'm K.C."

"Is that short for something?" Jack asked.

K.C. nodded. "Katherine-Casey, but I hate it. So everyone just calls me K.C."

"Oh, well then nice to meet you K.C. Great dive earlier."

She laughed. "Yours was better. Seriously, how did you do that? I don't think even Arson Bondarev could pull that off, and he's one of the best seekers in the world! And, I heard that this was not only your first time playing Quidditch, but just flying in general!"

"Well, on a broom," Jack tried to explain, "I've flown in other ways before, but not on a broom."

"Huh. I've never heard of flying any other way than on a broom. Is this something only where you come from?" K.C. asked.

"Kinda. More specifically just in my little town area. We have lots of weird spells and...stuff."

"Oh, yeah." She leaned in close, eyes wide as she whispered, "Is it true you can make snowballs appear in your hand?"

"With my wand, yes," Jack answered, stressing the part about the wand.

"Oh my god, that's so cool! Damn, your town sounds like so much fun!"

Jack smiled. "Yeah, it's pretty great."

"Well, it was nice meeting you Jack," K.C. said, sounding sincere. "Maybe next weekend we could have a race or something? See who's really the fastest?"

"Sure," Jack agreed, knowing he would win. "No point, though. I am ruler of the skies!" She laughed, not knowing how serious he actually was.

"Ok, we'll see. You should bring your chaser friend too. Mary, I think her name was?"

"Merida," Jack corrected.

"Merida," K.C. repeated, "Yeah, definitely bring her. She's super competitive and a really good chaser. Well, seeya then!" She waved as she left, hurrying off to join her Hufflepuff friends.

"Are ye consultin' with tha enemy?" Merida asked, coming up next to him.

"The game's over, so it doesn't matter. But, no. She and I were just talking. She wants to race us next weekend."

"Oh really?" Merida said, raising an eyebrow.

"Yep. And she was super nice, so don't be all..." Jack trailed off.

"All what?"

"You know..."

"No, Ah don' know. All what?"

"Competitive. Like, to the point of making others afraid of you," Jack said.

"Ah don' do that!"

"Yes, you do," Jack teased with a grin.

"Aw, shut yer trap. Ah'll be nice, but Ah won' be lettin' her win either."

"I'm not gonna let her win. And I'm not gonna let you win either."

_"Let _meh win? _Let?"_

Jack chuckled and said, "Oh, com'on, you know I'm faster than you."

"Weh'll see about tha', Snitch-boy!" Merida declared before storming off dramatically, Jack cracking up and calling after her.


	9. Races

**This is a very light chapter. Lots of fun. Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>Chapter 9<p>

"Okay, sae, here's tha plan," Merida said softly as they walked towards the Quidditch field, brooms in hand. "Ye git talkin' tae K.C, 'n' find oot all her secrets about tha Hufflepuff team!"

"Merida, we're just racing her," Jack said with a sigh, "Just a friendly, harmless race."

"If it makes you feel any better, Hiccup and I will be watching, and keeping a careful eye on her, to see her moves," Rapunzel said from behind them.

Jack rolled his eyes. "You guys are ridiculous."

It was Saturday, and K.C. had asked him in charms the day before if they were on for that race. Jack agreed, and now here they were. K.C. was already at the field, a smirk planted on her face and dark brown hair up in a ponytail. "Ready to get totally beat?" she challenged.

"Like as in an egg?" Jack asked mockingly.

K.C. rolled her eyes and turned to point at the hoops at each end of the field. "I say we circle completely around the goal hoops twice."

"Seems fair," Merida agreed.

"Seems boring," Jack countered, "No flying beneath the stands? Diving? Going in and out of the goals?"

"This is a test to see who's the fastest, Jack, not the fanciest flyer," K.C. replied, rolling her eyes. She turned to Rapunzel and Hiccup and said, "You guys start us off."

Rapunzel grinned and shouted, "Racers! Mount your brooms!"

Jack, Merida, and K.C. all swung one leg over their brooms, facing in a ling towards the goal hoops on the other side of the field.

"Up! I mean, rise! Uh...whatever it's called when you go up, but don't start yet..." They rose into the air, chuckling at her. Suddenly a whistle sounded, though where Rapunzel got one they weren't sure. But it rang loud and clear, and the three shot off.

Jack took the lead, calling to Wind to give him a boost. K.C. was right behind him, while Merida trailed a bit. When they approached the goal hoops, however, she gained ground (or air?) with her tight turning. K.C, not as graceful as the red head, had to make a wide turn, and ended up last. Jack was still in the lead.

The two girls began to even out when they reached the next turn, completing one whole lap. Jack was way ahead of them. He was laughing and throwing them grins over his shoulder, every now and then sitting up and throwing his hands into the air. By the time the girls reached the third turn, Jack was already halfway across the field. He shot past the goal posts a final time, and swung around to watch the girls finish.

Merida had pulled ahead with her tight turns, but K.C's speed was gaining her ground. Jack flew himself next to the goal posts, and watched carefully as they zoomed past him. It was close. Very close. But he knew who won. Wind told him. She could measure very accurately.

"Who won?" K.C. cried when they landed.

"I did," Jack deadpanned.

"Not ye, between us!" Merida growled, pointing between her and the Hufflepuff.

Jack sighed and replied, "Sorry Merida, but K.C. won."

"YES!" she shouted, pumping her arms in the air while the Scot simply growled and dug her heel into the ground.

"Ah'm uh better flyer though," she grumbled.

"But I think you're missing the point," Jack interrupted, _"I _won, and by a lot."

K.C. paused in her celebrating, her face darkening. "Whatever," she grumbled, "It was just a stupid race."

Jack raised an eyebrow. "You're the one who challenged me!"

"For fun! Not as a super serious, major...thing!"

Jack laughed. "Whatever. In the end, I'm still the fastest. And the best!"

"And the most humble," she added with a smirk. They began to walk back towards the castle, Merida, Hiccup, and Rapunzel in front while Jack and K.C. continued to argue behind them.

"If I remember correctly, then _you _where the one being all high and mighty, thinking that you could beat _me," _Jack accused.

"You said the same things!" K.C. shot back.

"Will you two shush?" Hiccup growled. "You're worse than Ruffnut and Tuffnut from back home."

"Ruffnut...and Tuffnust?" Jack asked, smile slowly spreading on his face.

"Yep. Old Norse names. Great, huh?" Hiccup said sarcastically.

"What other, uh, _Norse _names are there?" K.C. asked.

"My cousin's name is Snotlout," Hiccup replied, "And I have a friend named Fishlegs."

_"Fighlegs?" _Jack was completely blue in the face, he was trying so hard not to laugh.

"Yep. And you know what my middle name is?"

"What?" K.C. asked, looking giddy at the answer.

"Horrendous!"

Jack burst out laughing. "Hiccup...Horrendous...Haddock?" he spluttered.

"The third," Hiccup added.

"There have been three of you!" K.C. cried. "Three Hiccups Horrendous Haddocks?"

"Unfortunately," Hiccup replied with a sigh.

"And I thought Katherine-Casey was bad!"

"I think I have the most normal name out of all of you," Jack mused.

"Whit's wrong with Merida?" Merida asked, daring him to answer.

"Nothing's wrong with it," Jack replied cheekily, "It's just not very...common. Or...known. It's very...Scottish," he finished.

"Aren't your brothers' names Harris, Hamish, and Hupert?" Hiccup asked, turning to her.

"That's a little unfortunate," Jack mumbled.

"Especially since they're triplets," Rapunzel agreed.

"Hold up a minute," K.C. said, stopping with her eyes wide. "Harris, Hamis, Hupert. HHH. Hiccup Horrendous Haddock 3. HHH! And both have 3, because Hiccup, you're the third, and Merida, your brothers are triplets!"

"This is amazing why..?" Jack asked sardonically, earning a punch in the shoulder.

"It's just weird."

"I suppose," the white-hair teen grumbled, rubbing his arm.

"Oh, whatever," Rapunzel interrupted, "It doesn't really matter. What does matter is that it's getting cold out, and my butt's freezing!" Jack looked up and noticed storm clouds had started to form. Just him being outside in a light, airy mood caused the temperature to drop dramatically. In fact, he would hardly step foot outside the castle without screwing with the weather. He'd have to talk to Professor Daggle about that later.


End file.
